Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) claimed on ABC’s This Week that there are enough votes in the senate right now to block President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration, likely setting up a showdown between congress and the president.
The House of Representatives is moving forward with a resolution opposing the national emergency declaration that President Trump invoked on Friday, before heading to Florida to golf. Some GOP members of the Senate have also “voiced concern,” according to This Week host Martha Raddatz
When asked if there would be enough votes in the senate for such a resolution, Duckworth was positive.
“I think we do,” said Duckworth. “Now, whether we have enough for an override and veto, that’s a different story. But frankly, I think there’s enough people in the Senate who are concerned that what he’s doing is robbing from the military and the DOD to go build this wall that, you know, is really not even the best way to fight the crisis that he’s talking — you know, seeming that there’s one at the border.”
Duckworth also agreed with statements made by Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Friday, stating that, “the Congress will defend our constitutional authorities in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the public, using every remedy available.”
“Basically, the president is trying to take away the power of the purse from the legislative branch. We are co-equal branches of government, and he is trying to do a type of executive overreach that is just uncalled for,” said Duckworth.
“Now if he wants to appropriate more money, to put more agents at the border, to put people at the ports of entry to go and counter drugs, we can have that conversation — but to take money away from defense, from DOD, in order to build this wall that is essentially a campaign promise, I think is really wrong priorities, and I think it’s very harmful to the country,” she added.
It would be remarkable if enough votes can be found in the senate to send the bill to the president’s desk. Congress has largely “rubber stamped” anything President Trump has asked for with minimal resistance from his party.
President Trump would likely veto any such resolution if it does reach him, and it is highly unlikely that more than 20 republicans would cross over to stand against the president.
View the exchange below:
Image via screen capture from video source.